‫ קטרת‬- Ketoret
Ketoret is the transliteration of the Hebrew word
‫קטרת‬, which is translated, in English, as incense.
The word ketoret means bonding. Ketoret is a
substance which is associated with joy, prayer, and
protection. Clearly, ketoret is a most unusual
substance!
The Ketoret, offered up twice a day, symbolized
Israel's desire to serve HaShem in a pleasing way.
This offering was brought twice daily, once as part
of the Shacharit (morning) service and once as part
of the Mincha (afternoon) service. This happened
seven days a week, every day of the year, including
Shabbat and Yom HaKippurim. Five measures of
ketoret were burnt daily, half in the morning and
half in the afternoon.
Shemot (Exodus) 30:7 And Aaron shall burn
thereon sweet incense every morning: when
he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense
upon it. 8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps
at evening, he shall burn incense upon it, a
perpetual incense before HaShem throughout
your generations.
Exodus 30:34-36, 7-8 HaShem said to
Moses: Take yourself spices — balsam,
onycha, and galbanum — spices and pure
frankincense; they are all to be of equal
weight. You are to make it into Ketoret
(incense), a spice-compound, the handiwork
of an expert spice-compounder, thoroughly
mixed, pure and holy. You are to grind some
of it finely and place some of it before the
Testimony in the Tent of Appointment, where I
shall designate a time to meet you; it shall be
a holy of holies for you.
The Hakhamim taught: How is the incense
mixture formulated? Three hundred sixty-
eight maneh were in it: three hundred sixty-
five corresponding to the days of the solar
year — a maneh for each day, half in the
morning and half in the afternoon; and three
extra maneh, from which the Kohen Gadol
would bring both his handfuls [into the Holy
of Holies] on Yom HaKippurim. He would
return them to the mortar on the day before
Yom Kippur, and grind them very thoroughly
so that it would be exceptionally fine. Eleven
kinds of spices were in it, as follows:
(1) balsam,
(2) onycha,
(3) galbanum [chelbena],
(4) frankincense — each weighing seventy
maneh1[1];
(5) myrrh,
(6) cassia,
(7) spikenard,
(8) saffron — each weighing sixteen maneh;
(9) costus — twelve maneh;
(10) aromatic bark — three; and
(11) cinnamon — nine.
[Additionally] Carshina lye, nine kav2[2];
Cyprus wine, three se’ah3[3] and three kav, if
he has no Cyprus wine, he brings old white
wine; Sodom salt, a quarter[-kav]; and a
minute amount of a smoke-raising herb.
Rabbi Nassan the Babylonian says: Also a
minute amount of Jordan amber. If he placed
fruit-honey into it, he invalidated it. But if he
left out any of its spices, he is liable to the
death penalty.
The Torah does not give the exact recipe for the
ketoret that was burned daily in the Temple. Only in
the Oral Law do we find a list of all eleven
ingredients.
Our Hakhamim taught that the ketoret contained
eleven spices.
1[1]
Maneh: A unit of weight: According to Rabbi Avraham
Chaim Naeh, a Mishnaic maneh equals 480 grams (slightly
less than half a kilogram and slightly more than 1 pound). A
second opinion is that of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan (The Living
Torah, Exodus 30:34, p. 445; The Torah Anthology, Volume
11, p. 43), according to which a maneh equals 100 biblical
shekels, or 5 pounds.
2[2]
Kav: A unit of volume; approximately 1 gallon.
3[3]
Sa‘ah: Approximately 6 gallons
 What is the significance of the various
Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs I:62. amounts of each fragrance?
R. Yohanan applied the verse to the incense of
the House of Abtinus. THE BAG OF MYRRH: Each of the major four fragrances explicitly
this is one of the eleven spices which mentioned in the Torah contributed seventy maneh.
composed it. R. Huna explained [why there The number seven represents the natural universe,
were eleven]. It says And the Lord said unto created in seven days. Seven corresponds to the
Moses: Take unto thee sweet spices (Ex.XXX, framework of the physical universe, especially the
34)-this is two: balsam, and onycha and boundaries of time with its seven-day week.
galbanam--this makes five; sweet spices--if
you say this means only two more, we have Seventy is the number seven in tens. The number
already had this; [therefore take it in ten represents both plurality and unity, so seventy
conjunction with the next words], of each conveys the idea of unifying the multitude of forces
shall there be a like weight; add five to the in the natural world. This is the underlying message
previous five, making ten. With pure of the ketoret. These holy fragrances illuminate and
frankincense --this makes eleven. On the uplift the plurality of natural forces.
basis of this verse the Sages investigated and
found that nothing is better for the incense After the first level of four fragrances sanctified the
than just these eleven spices. dimension of time, the second tier of four
fragrances sanctified the dimension of space. The
The Acharit Shalom observes that whereas the number six corresponds to space, as any location is
eleven above-mentioned ingredients are listed in made up of six vectors (the four directions, plus up
Hebrew, the remaining ingredients are listed in and down). It can also be visualized as a cube,
Aramaic. He presumes that Chazal did this representing all physical objects, which has six
deliberately in order to differentiate between the faces.
actual spices and the remaining ingredients that are
merely (to enhance the quality of the main Time is a less physical aspect, and more receptive to
ingredients). spiritual elevation. Thus, for the first four
fragrances representing the dimension of time, the
number seven was multiplied by ten. Space, on the
COUNT NAME WEIGHT other hand, is only influenced by its closeness to
1 Balsam 70 maneh holiness. Therefore, the unifying quality of ten is
2 Onycha 70 maneh only added to the six, so that 16 maneh were used of
each of these fragrances.
3 Galbanum 70 maneh
4 Frankincense 70 maneh The final amounts of twelve, nine, and three
5 Myrrh 16 maneh represent the limitations of the divided physical
6 Cassia 16 maneh realm. Three is the first number to demonstrate
7 Spikenard 16 maneh multitude, and nine is the last number, before the
multitude is once again combined into a unit of
8 Saffron 16 maneh
ten4[4].
9 Costus 12 maneh
10 aromatic bark 3 maneh
11 Cinnamon 9 maneh
368 maneh

4[4]
Adapted from Olat Ri'iah 136-8
 Eleven Spices
Rashi, in Shemot 30:34, explains that the Ketoret
was comprised of eleven ingredients. Often, we find
that the number ten is used to represent a spiritual
full set. Eleven refers to the conveyance of the
Divine light which transcends the limits of the
world within the limits of the world.
Pirke Avot 5:1 The world was created with
ten utterances.
Eleven, thus, refers to a level above the limits of the
set of ten. Nevertheless, since it is also a number
which follows in sequence to ten, we can
understand that it refers to the fusion between the
transcendent Divine light and the framework of
limited worldly existence.
There were ten fragrant spices in the ketoret, the
incense, and one foul smelling spice (Chelbena
-galbanum). There were ten tzaddiks in the
synagogue yet no prayers on a fast day were heard
without a sinner’s prayer.
Keritot 6b Every communal fast that does not
include sinners of Israel is not a fast." This is
derived from the fact that the incense
included Chelbenah-galbanum. Just as the
Chelbenah was necessary to give the other
spices exactly the right fragrance, a
congregation is not complete without
someone who has also fallen and who must
reelevate himself through repentance. In
particular, when a difficult punishment has
been decreed against Israel because of some
evil deed, this very evil must be taken and
elevated. Thus, the idea of transforming evil
by elevating it back to its source in holiness
is intimated in the incense. It is for this
reason also that a communal fast must
include "the sinners of Israel”.
The Number Eleven
The number eleven, which is how many spices there
were in the Ketoret, at first seems rather odd.
However, Kabbalisticaly it is a number of
tremendous importance for it alludes to one of the
most prized possessions in all of history: Daat
Elohim, G-dly-Knowledge.
Why was the number eleven selected for the
production of the Ketoret? In order to answer this
question, let us consider some other appearances of
the number eleven in the Torah:
In Bereshit 36:40-43, the Torah enumerates the
eleven chieftains that were born to Esav.
Bereshit (Genesis) 33:11 Take, I pray thee,
my blessing that is brought to thee; because
God hath dealt graciously with me, and
because I have all (kol). And he urged him,
and he took it.
Rashi points out a very basic difference between
Yaacov and Esav's outlook on life. When Yaacov
described his material status, he exclaimed, "I have
all that I need!" Esav, on the other hand, arrogantly
stated, "I have much, much more than I need!" In
contrast to Esav’s “much”, Yaacov had kol,
everything. Kol always refers to the spiritual world
because in this world, even if you have the whole
world it is simply “much”. It is only when we
connect to the source that we can have everything!
The number ten represents a completeness; a full
integer count. The number ten represents Yaacov 's
purposeful existence. The ideology of Esav, of
seeing no limits or goals and amassing "much,
much more" than one needs, is represented by the
number eleven. It is indeed appropriate that his
nation originated with 'eleven' chieftains. Yet for all
his amassment of wealth, one who follows such an
ideology will actually end up with less, not more.
As our Sages put it,
Sanhedrin 29a one who adds, takes away.
Similarly, in the area of kashrut we are told that:
Chulin 58b an animal with an extra limb is
likened to an animal missing that limb.
If an animal missing a leg is considered to be a
Tereifah (unfit for food) and not kosher, one that has
an extra leg is also a tereifah and not kosher.
Megilah 29a One who is arrogant is
considered to be blemished.
This above Gemara follows the same principle. The
arrogant person considers himself bigger, or more
fit, than others, while in truth, his extra fitness is no
more than a lack of fitness. He is blemished, or
flawed.
In Sanhedrin 29a, the Gemara derives the rule that
"one who adds, takes away" from a verse in Shemot
26:7. The verse states that the goat's hair covering
on the Mishkan (the Tabernacle in the wilderness)
consisted of eleven curtains of goat's hair, sewn
together into one very long curtain which was
draped over the Mishkan. The word the Torah uses
for eleven is Ashtei Esreh. Had the Torah left out
the letter Ayin from Ashtei, the Gemara explains, it
would have meant twelve. Now that the Ayin is
added to the word, it takes away from its meaning,
such that it only means eleven.
Note that this rule is learned from the number
eleven. Esav's attitude of "much, much more than I
need" is summed up by the number eleven. All of
his additional wealth just takes him farther from
attaining the true goals in life.
Interestingly, according to Rashi on Tehillim 80:14,
a letter Ayin which is raised above the rest of the
word in which it appears is used to represent Esav's
wickedness.
The Death Penalty
The following narrative is from Meam Loez5[5]:
Also included in the incense was an herb known as
maaleh ashan. This herb caused the smoke to go
straight up like a pole and not to spread to the right
or left. No one knew the identity of this herb except
members of the family of the House of Avtinus
mentioned earlier. These are the ones who were able
to make the incense based on the tradition of their
ancestors and they would not reveal it to any other
person.
This herb had to be placed in the incense even
though it did not have any fragrance. This is
because it is written, "Speak to Aaron your brother
and let him not come at all times to the sanctuary
inside the veil which is before the ark." (Leviticus
16:2) Moses was told to go to Aaron the High Priest
5[5]
Meam Loez on Ki Tissa: The Incense Spices
and tell him not to go into the Holy of Holies at any
time other than Yom HaKippurim. Even on Yom
HaKippurim he could not go into the Holy of Holies
empty-handed. The Torah therefore continues:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:2 For in cloud I shall
be seen on the ark cover.
The only time the High Priest could enter the Holy
of Holies was when he brought incense and the
cloud of smoke covered the ark cover. The cloud
mentioned here is the smoke of the incense. As the
Torah says later:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:13 The cloud of
incense shall cover the ark cover.
Since the Torah says, "In a cloud I shall be seen on
the ark cover" and it does not say, "With incense I
shall be seen on the ark cover," our sages taught that
this herb known as maaleh ashan must be placed in
the incense. If maaleh ashan was not placed there
the incense would burn but there would not be this
heavy smoke. Since the Torah speaks of a "cloud"
of smoke we learn that there must be smoke. The
only substance that makes this heavy smoke is the
maaleh ashan, which made this smoke go up
straight like a pole.
If a different type of herb were used, the smoke
would not go directly up; rather, it would spread out
to all sides of the Holy of Holies. It would then not
be right over the ark cover and the Torah says
explicitly, "The cloud of incense shall cover the ark
cover." This cloud of smoke must cover the ark
cover so the High Priest does not see the Divine
Presence.
If the High Priest burned the incense and it did not
contain this maaleh ashan he would be worthy of
death.
Furthermore if he left out any of the ingredients he
would be worthy of death. The Torah says:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:13 He should place
incense on the fire before HaShem and the
cloud of the incense should cover the ark
cover which is above the Testimony.
The Torah could have simply said, "He should place
it on the fire before HaShem." Why did it say he
should place incense on the fire? The word
"incense" appears to be redundant because it was
already mentioned earlier, "a double handful of
incense, finely ground perfumes." Then the Torah
should say, "He should place it on a fire before
HaShem," and we would know that the Torah is
speaking about incense.
However, the expression, "the incense" (ha-Ketoret)
teaches us that the incense must be complete
without anything missing. Even a single dram of
weight of any of the ingredients cannot be left out.
The Torah also teaches us that the smoke of the
incense must cover the ark cover. This is why the
maaleh ashan is placed in it. The Torah says:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:13 And he shall not
die.
From this we learn the opposite. If any of the
ingredients are left out, or if the maaleh ashan was
not placed in the incense, the High Priest was
worthy of death. It did not matter how small an
amount of the maaleh ashan was placed there as
long as there was some.
One should read the section of the Ketoret out of a
Siddur. Saying it verbally is the same as actually
burning this incense in the Temple, as is explained
earlier. If one says it by heart it is possible that he
will leave out one of the ingredients. This is the
same as burning incense lacking ingredients for
which one is worthy of death. Therefore it should be
read from the written page. For the same reason it is
good to count the eleven perfumes with one's
fingers, so as not to skip any of them.
End of Meam Loez.
Ketoret has the power to nullify any evil decree,
even that of death. It is for this reason that when a
plague broke out among the Bne Israel in the
wilderness Moshe ordered Aaron to go through the
camp with the ketoret.
Bamidbar (Numbers) 17:12-13 Aaron took
the incense pan as Moses had commanded
him... He offered the incense to atone for the
people... and the plague was checked.
Thus we see the healing properties of ketoret,
especially to alleviate the plague. If the ketoret had
not been formulated correctly it would not have
ended the plague, thus condemning the people to
death. This is why the death penalty is proper for
those who leave out any ingredient while
compounding the ketoret.
Ketoret Symbolizes Unity
Ketoret was a unique substance whose eleven
ingredients had the ability to symbolize unity.
In other words, the incense used in the Bais
HaMikdash, the House of the Holy One, consisted
of fragrant spices as well as the foul-smelling
galbanum, which itself acquired a pleasant aroma
when combined with the other spices of the ketoret.
The Gemara derives from this composition of the
incense a similar phenomenon in the social,
religious makeup of the Jewish people: when the
wicked and righteous join together, the latter can
positively impact upon the former to produce a
single, "fragrant" unified community.
Rav Kook explained that the ketoret was a link
between the material and spiritual realms. The word
ketoret comes from the root kesher, a tie or knot.
The incense rose straight up, connecting our divided
physical world to the unified divine realm. From the
sublime standpoint of overall holiness, it is
impossible to distinguish between the separate,
distinct fragrances. Each fragrance represents a
particular quality, but at that elevated level, they are
revealed only within the attribute of absolute unity.
Only in our divided world do they acquire separate
identities.
Ketoret as a Protection
Bamidbar (Numbers) 17:11-13 "And Moshe
said to Aharon. Take a censer, and put fire in
it from off the altar, and put on incense, and
take it quickly... and ran... and made
atonement for the people. And he stood
between the dead and the living; and the
plague was stayed”.
We learn from the Yom HaKippurim service that the
cloud of ketoret facilitates a vision of the Shekhina:
For in the cloud I shall appear above the kaporet.
Like a sort of veil which serves to dull the dazzling
revelation. Perhaps, this is indeed the function of
the Mizbayach HaKetoret (incense altar) throughout
the year: it is meant to allow the Shekhina to dwell
in the Mishkan by "screening" the revelation
therein!
Ketoret is brought by men to recognize the fact that
HaShem is present amongst us. Furthermore,
ketoret has the unique property of protection, which
is necessary since as mortals we cannot handle the
direct presence of HaShem, so we need the incense
and the incense altar to protect us from the glory of
HaShem.
Not only the actual offering of the ketoret, but even
studying and reciting the parasha of ketoret yields
remarkable power as the Zohar writes:
Zohar 2:218 This matter is a decree issued by
the Almighty, that whoever studies and reads
the topic of the constitution of the ketoret
every day is saved from all evil things and
witchcraft in the world, and from all serious
injury, from evil thoughts, from harsh
judgment, and from death, and will not be
harmed that entire day, for the evil force has
no control over him. One must concentrate
during this recitation. Rabbi Shimon said, if
people would know how exalted the concept
of the ketoret is before the Almighty, they
would take every single word in it and wear it
as a crown on their head like a golden crown.
Whoever involves himself in it must delve into
the concept of the ketoret. If he concentrates
on it every day, he earns a portion both in this
world and in the next world, and death will be
eliminated from him and from the world, and
he will be saved from all prosecution in this
world, from impurity, from the judgment of
Gehinnom and from subjugation to foreign
rule.
The Yalkut Meam Loez cites a story from the
Midrash Haneelam. Rav Aha once arrived in a
certain town that had been ravaged by a plague for
seven days. The townspeople came to him and told
him of their troubles. The plague was only
intensifying, and they did not know what to do. He
said, "Let us go to the Bet Kenesset (House of the
Congregation) and pray that it stops." As they made
their way towards the Bet Kenesset, people came
and told them that the plague had claimed even
more victims; others are about to die. He said,
"Since the calamity is so severe and time is running
out, we will not go to the Bet Kenesset. Rather,
bring me forty G-d-fearing people and they will
divide into groups of ten, each of which should go
to one direction of the city and recite 'pitum
haketoret' (the Talmudic discussion of the
ingredients of the ketoret) three times. They should
then add, 'Moshe said to Aharon: Take the firepan
and place fire upon it from the altar and place
ketoret, and quickly bring it to the nation and atone
on their behalf… 'until' and the plague ended." They
did as he told, and the plague stopped. All those
who had been stricken were cured. A heavenly
voice called out to the harmful spirits, "Do no more
damage in this town, for the attribute of justice no
longer has any control over them!"
Rav Aha was exhausted and fell asleep. He dreamt
that it was told to him, "Just as you eliminated the
plague from the city, so must you bring them back
in teshuva, for one cannot endure without the other,
because it was on account of their sins that the
plague was decreed." He told this to the
townspeople and they repented. They changed the
name of the town to "Mahsiya," which means "town
of compassion." They kept the town's name in their
minds at all times so as to ensure that they would
not return to their sinful ways.
Ketoret for Simcha (Joy)
The Midrash says:
Tanhuma, Tesaveh 15 The Almighty said: Of
all the sacrifices you offer, there is none
dearer to Me than the ketoret [incense], for it
comes not for any sin or transgression or
guilt, but rather for joy, as it says, 'Oil and
incense gladden the heart' (Mishlei 27). See
how beloved the ketoret is, for through it the
plague ended. Aharon found the angel [of
death] standing and destroying. He stayed
opposite it and did not let it go. He said to
Aharon: Let me go and carry out my mission.
Aharon stopped it with the power of the
ketoret.
The Ketoret was also an intrinsic part of the
Mishkan (the Tabernacle in the wilderness), since it
is the proper thing to place incense in the King's
Palace, prior to his entry, all the more so, HaShem.
Indeed, on a number of occasions in the desert, it
was through the Ketoret that the Shechinah rested in
Israel.
Ketoret was offered to bring joy and happiness to
the world. For this reason, it was the most beloved
to HaShem of all the offerings6[6]. And, it was the
life-preserving qualities of the Ketoret that the
Angel of Death taught Moshe on Mt. Sinai, which
worked to save lives in the disagreement with
Korach. See Bamidbar (Numbers) 17:11-13
Our Sages taught that the righteous are compared to
pleasant smelling spices (Megilla 13a). That is why
Esther was also named Hadassah which means
myrtle, while Mordechai is comprised of 'mar
dachia', pure myhrr, one of the main ingredients of
the incense. We have seen in the teaching of our
Sages that sound is good for the incense. For this
reason Mordechai, whose righteous deeds were
pleasing to HaShem as incense, cried aloud in the
midst of the city. Through his intense prayer and
beseeching on behalf of the Jews, Mordechai saw
that, as incense offered before HaShem, he was able
to nullify the harsh decree against the Jewish
people. In this way, he 'stood between the dead and
the living' much as Aaron used the incense to stay
the plague of HaShem's wrath.
Lashon HaRa
The offering of the "ketoret" was carried out in
complete seclusion. The Torah tells us:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:17 any person shall
not be in the Tent of Meeting when he comes
to provide atonement in the Sanctuary until
his departure.
Although this pasuk is found in the section of the
Torah dealing with the Yom HaKippurim service,
this halacha is not limited to Yom HaKippurim. It
was forbidden for any other Kohen to be present in
the Bais HaMikdash while the Kohen Gadol, the
High Priest, was offering his ketoret, whether it was
Yom HaKippurim when it was offered in the
Kodesh HaKodoshim, or any other day that it was
brought on the inner altar. This offering that was
6[6]
Midrash Tanchuma, Tetzaveh 15
always done in private serves to atone for lashon
hara that is spoken privately.
The Gemara (Erachin 16) teaches: Because of
lashon hara, tzaraat befalls a person. Yet [the
Gemara asks] doesn't Rav Anani bar Sason teach
that when the kohen gadol wears the garment
known as the me'il, this atones for the nation's
lashon hara?
The Gemara (as explained by Rashi) answers: If the
lashon hara caused a fight, tzara'at results.
Otherwise, the wearing of the me'il atones.
Yet does not Rav Shimon teach that the ketoret
atones for lashon hara, for we read in this parasha
that Aharon atoned for the people with ketoret? Yes,
the ketoret, which is usually burnt privately in the
inner sanctum of the Mishkan, atones for lashon
hara spoken in private, while the me'il atones for
lashon hara spoken in public. [Until here from the
Gemara.]
The Chafetz Chaim writes: It follows from this that
lashon hara which causes a fight is punished by
tzara'at even when spoken privately. Ketoret atones
for lashon hara spoken privately which causes no
harm.
Why then did the ketoret provide atonement, in
Bamidbar (Numbers) 16:46, where the lashon hara
was very public? Because Aharon took the ketoret
out of the privacy of the Mishkan and burnt it in the
midst of the camp.
The Gemara records that offering of the ketoret is
done privately (Yoma 43b-44a, Zevachim 88b,
Mishna Kelim 1:9, Rambam Hilkhot Temidin u-
Musafin 3:3); that is, when the ketoret is offered, no
one is allowed to be in the heikhal, the inner
sanctum, other than the kohen offering the ketoret.
While the Torah mentions this exclusion
specifically regarding the special service of the
kohen gadol on Yom HaKippurim (Vayikra 16:17),
the Gemara understands that it applies to the ketoret
generally (Yoma 44b).
Given its very private nature, the ketoret symbolizes
the mysterious, the unknown. However, the Torah
explicitly connects both offerings of the ketoret to
the lighting of the menora. The menora is symbolic
of the light of the Torah, the revealed Torah, while
the ketoret is symbolic of the hidden aspects of
Torah, of those parts that lie beyond human
comprehension. The Torah links these two
commands, highlighting the significance of striving
to understand the Torah while recognizing that some
aspects of Torah will remain difficult.
Holy Deodorizer
Maimonides describes the function of the ketoret as
the vanquishing of the unpleasant odors that might
otherwise have pervaded the Temple. HaShem
commanded that the ketoret be burned twice a day,
each morning and afternoon, to lend a pleasing
fragrance to the Temple and to the garments of
those who served in it:
Guide for the Perplexed, part III, ch. 45
“Since many animals were slaughtered in the
sacred place each day, their flesh butchered
and burnt and their intestines cleaned, its
smell would doubtless have been like the
smell of a slaughterhouse... Therefore G-d
commanded that the ketoret be burned twice a
day, each morning and afternoon, to lend a
pleasing fragrance to [the Holy Temple] and
to the garments of those who served in it.”
But Maimonides’ words carry a significance that
extends beyond their superficial sense. In the words
of Rabbeinu Bechaya:
Rabbeinu Bechayei on Torah, Exodus 30:1
“G-d forbid that the great principle and
mystery of the ketoret should be reduced to
this mundane purpose.”
As with all aspects of Torah, this is understood on
many different levels. It is explained in the Zohar
that the kohanim were not merely interested in
converting unpleasant smells to pleasant ones; the
inner purpose of the ketoret was to dispel the
foulness of the Evil Inclination:
Chassidic teaching explains that the animal
sacrifices offered in the Temple represent the
person's offering of his own animal soul to
HaShem, the subjugation of his natural instincts and
desires to the divine will. This is the deeper
significance of the foul odor emitted by the
sacrifices which the ketoret came to dispel: the
animal soul of man, which is the basic drive,
common to every living creature, for self-
preservation and self-enhancement, possesses many
positive traits which can be directed toward gainful
and holy ends; but it is also the source of many
negative and destructive traits. When a person
brings his animal self to the Temple of HaShem and
offers what is best and finest in it upon the altar,
there is still the foul odor, the selfishness, the
brutality, and the materiality of the animal in man,
that accompanies the process. Hence the burning of
the ketoret, which possessed the unique capability
to sublimate the evil odor of the animal soul within
its heavenly fragrance.
Like the incense that burned in the Temple, the
manifest function of teshuva is to deal with negative
and undesirable things. On the practical level,
teshuva is repentance, a returning to HaShem, a
healing for the soul. But teshuva is also the
dominant quality of Yom Hakippurim, the holiest
day of the year. On the day before Yom
HaKippurim we grind the spices a second time to
insure that they are the absolute finest. Thus, the
ketoret that burned in the Holy of Holies was the
manifestation of the function of teshuva; to deal
with sin and its ability to disrupt the unity of the
body and the soul of the nation.
Adapted from notes prepared by Hillel Ben David
(Greg Killian)